Region | Palestinian Territories

'Israel may invade Gaza if rocket attacks continue'

Jordan's King Abdullah asked Israeli leaders at a secret meeting in Amman this week to refrain from a large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip, an Israeli political source said on Thursday.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 23:35 November 20, 2008
  • Gulf News

Occupied Jerusalem: Jordan's King Abdullah asked Israeli leaders at a secret meeting in Amman this week to refrain from a large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip, an Israeli political source said on Thursday.

The source, confirming Israeli radio stations' reports, said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declined to give a guarantee, saying Israel "cannot restrain itself for long" and might invade Gaza if fighters continued firing rockets into Israel.

Israel has had full diplomatic ties with Jordan since 1994 but some high-level talks are not announced in advance, largely for security reasons.

Israeli media said Abdullah urgently summoned Olmert and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak to Amman on Tuesday and told them he feared an Israeli invasion of Gaza could cause casualties that might in turn threaten his rule.

Olmert said "there may not be any choice" but to invade Hamas-ruled Gaza if rocket fire into Israel from the coastal strip persisted, but Barak assured Jordan Israel was interested in continuing an Egyptian-brokered truce, the Israeli source said.

Growing violence

Cross-border violence between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza has been growing this month, threatening the ceasefire which has been in force since mid-June.

Israel has killed more than a dozen fighters in raids since November 4 and Palestinian fighters have fired dozens of rockets injuring several Israelis.

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